Construction and method of anchoring shoe cleats



June 11, 1940. J T. RIDDELL CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF JMLM Patented June 11, 194i) I CONSTRUCTION ANDPMETHOD OF ANCHOR- i I ING SHOE OLEATS I John T. Riddell, Chicago, Ill. Application August 14, 1939, Serial No. 290,113

1. i l 8 Claims. This invention relates to detachable Shoe cleats, such as football cleats and the like, made I of :molded I pliable material and particularly to improvementin the method of securing such cleats onto the sole of ashes. I The main objects of this invention are to provide an'improved method of fastening detachable cleats onto shoe soles; to provide such a fmethod whereby, in a simple fashion, a double locking or gripping effect is had between the cleat and the shoe sole; and to provide an improved method of attaching detachable cleats to .ayshoe sole which obviates danger of the cleat Working loose from the shoe sole so as to become weakened and pull off from the securing stud and yet permits the cleat tobe readily detached when such is desired.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: I Figure l is a sectional view of a detachable cleatfor practicing the improved method of fastening the same to a shoe sole.

2 isa sectional viewof the socket means provided in a shoe solejfor attaching the cleat pliable resilient material, such as rubber, having thereto in accordance withithe improvedmethod,

and, I g

' Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the cleat attached to the shoe sole according to the improved method. In the form shown in the drawing the improved cleat comprises a body I made of a that the shoulder 6 is disposed below; or recessed and the shank 3.

into the sole-engaging surface 1 of the cleat I, :leaving a recess 8 betweenth e end lot the cleat The I head 5 provides a second shoulder 9 within the body of the cleat I whichshoulder is completely surrounded by the, material of the cleat I so as to provide a compression member acting on the cleat materialbetween the shoulder '9 andthe end "I of the cleat whenthecleat is fastened onto a shoe sole. The prongs 4 are formed by splitting, sawing or otherwise dividing the inner end of the cylindrical body 2 beyond theannular collar 5 and then turning the posts orsections thus formed outwardly by means of a suitable tool or die. The construction of this cleat is more fully described in my copending application, Serial No. 290,444, filed August 16, 1939. g

As shown in Fig. 2, the socket member for holding the cleat shown in Fig. 1 onto the shoe sole comprises an internally threaded tubular member; having an annular flange II at one.

end, the tubular memberbeing set into a suit able aperture in the shoe sole 12 with the flanged end on the inner side of the sole where the flange II becomes embedded into the sole material when the tubular member is secured thereto. The opposite end of the tubular member I0 projects outwardly beyond thebottom surface of the sole I2 and a wash I 3 is set over the projecting end and is secured against the bottom surface of the sole by rolling or otherwise turning under the projectingporticn to form a locking head or rim it which bears against the washer I3 and holds the same tightly in place against the sole. As shown in Fig. 2, the washer I3 may be provided withaxially extending prongs I5 which become embedded in the sole I2 to lock the washer against the possibility of angular turning relative to the axisof the tubular member or socket Ill.

As shownjin Fig. 3, the cleat illustrated in Fig. 1 is secured tothe shoe sole by merely I threading the shank 3 of the cleat securing member into the internally threaded socket on tubular member ii), which has been previously afiixed I onto the shoe sole, and then turning the cleat tightly down against the shoe sole or the washer 53 until the cleat becomes rigidly secured onto the sole.

During the process of attachingthe cleat to the shoe sole several conditions are brought about by which my improved fastening method is ac- I complished, and the cleat itselfis particularly designed to bring about these conditions which are first, the, accomplishment of a combined frictional and compression lock between the end I of the cleat land the shoe sole or the washer I3, and second, a positive metal to metal bind between the shoulder Ii on the cleat securing member 2, and the rolled rim orbead Id at the projecting end of the socket or tubular member I0.

I The first featuretnamely, the combined trio-lv tion and compression lock between the pliable cleat material and the shoe sole and the washer I3 is brought about by the fact that the recess 8 in the sole engaging end of the cleat body is of greater depth than the distance to which the rolled end I4 of the tubular member l0 projects beyond the surface of the washer l3, thereby causing the end portion 7 of the cleat body to be compressed, as indicated at it in Fig. 3, when the cleat is drawn up tightly against the washer l3, the shoulder 9 on the annular collar 5 of the cleat securing member serving to prevent the cleat being pulled off from the securing member and to cause compression of the; material between the shoulder ii and the washer l3, thus bringing about a condition whereby the securing member 2 is constantly under tension relative to the tubular socket Ill and the shoe sole and whereby a maximum frictional grip between the pliable material of the cleat and the washer I3 is had. v

The second feature; namely, the metal to metal bind between the rolled rim or bead I4 of the socket I0 and the shoulder 6 at the shank end of the'securing member 2 provides two definite results which are first, the positive metal to metal bind between the shoulder 6 of the securing member 2 and the rim or bead Id of the socket member H] which further serves to'prevent inadvertent turning of the cleat relative to the socket member and the shoe sole, and second, this feature provides a positive stop which prevents the flange-engaging end 1 of the cleat from becoming too much compressed, and

v thereby spread outwardly, and also prevents the securing member 2 from being pulled out of the cleat l by too great an application of twisting force during the application of the cleat tothe shoe sole. f

It will now be seen that my improved method of securing a cleat onto a shoe sole consists in compressing the sole or washer engaging end of the cleat to provide a combined friction and compression lock between the cleat and. the washer and then causing a positive metal to metal compression bind between the cleat securing member and the 'socket into which it is threaded so as to not only provide an additional locking means for the cleat when it is mounted on the shoe sole, but also to limit the amount that the washer engaging end of the cleat can be compressed during the application. 1

The main advantages of my improved method of fastening shoe cleats reside in the more perfect and secure locking engagement that is obtained between the detachable cleat and the sole on which it is mounted, and the fact that the improved method obviates the danger of the cleat working loose on the shoe sole, during the severe usage to which such cleats are subjected, so that the cleat cannot be twisted or. pulled loose from its securing stud.

Other advantages reside in the simplified structure of the cleat and its securing means that is permitted by the use of the improved cleat fastening method.

It will be understood that certain of the method steps herein described and illustrated may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of anchoring a cleat to the sole of a shoe which consists in fixing an internally 75; threaded socket member'in the shoe sole, providing a cleat of pliable resilient material having an end bearing surface and a threaded stud fixed therein and projecting therefrom, screwing said stud into said socket until said end-bearing surface substantially engages said sole'or socket member and then further screwing said stud into said socket member to compress the pliable cleat material at said end-bearing surface and locking the stud threads by thejengagement of limit stop-bearings on said socket member and stud.

2. The method of anchoring a cleat to the sole of a shoe which consists in fixing an inter-' nally threaded socketv member in the shoe sole, providing a cleat of pliable resilient material having an end-bearing surface and a threaded stud fixed therein and projecting from a recess surrounding said stud in said bearing surface, screwing said stud into said socket until said cleat end-bearing surface substantially engages said sole or socket member and then further screwing said stud into said socket member to compress the pliable cleat material and bring a shoulder on said stud into thread-locking engagement with said socket.

3. The method of anchoring a cleat to the sole of a shoe which consists in fixing an internally threaded socket member in the shoe sole, pro-,- 7

viding a cleat of pliable resilient material having and end-bearing surface and a threaded stud fixed therein and. projecting from a. recess therein surrounding said stud,'and said stud having a projecting annular shoulder in said recess below the said end-bearing surface, screwing said stud into said socket until said end-bearing surface substantially engages said sole or socket nularly projecting shoulder recessed in and below said cleat end-bearing surface, screwing said stud into said socket until said cleat end-bearing 5 surface substantially engages said sole or socket member and then further screwing said stud into said socket to compress the pliable cleat. material at said end and tightly engage said stud shoulder with said socket rim.

5. The method of anchoring a cleat to a shoe sole which consists in fixing in the shoe sole an internally threaded socket having a rim projecting beyond" the bottom sole surface, provid-' ing a cleat of pliable material having an endbearing surface and having a threaded stud fixed therein and projecting therefrom, and having a projecting shoulder recessed in and below said cleat end-bearing surface at a greater distance than theprojecting. height of said socket rim, screwing said stud into said socket until said cleat end substantially engages said sole or socket member, and then further screwing said stud into said socket member to tightly engage said stud shoulder with said socket .rim after compressing the pliable cleat material at said bearing end. l

6. The method of anchoring a cleat to a shoe sole which consists in. providing an internallythreaded socket fixed in the shoe sol-e and having a rim projecting beyond the bottom sole surface=and a Washer disposedagainst the shoe sole and secured by said rim, providing a cleat of pliable material having an end-bearing surface and a threaded stud fixedtherein and projecting ,therefrom, said stud having a projecting shoulder recessed in and below said cleat endbearing surface, screwing said stud into said socket until said cleat'end substantially engages said washer, and then further screwing said stud into said socket member to tightly engage said stud shoulder with said socket rim after compressing the pliable cleat material at said bearing end.

\ 7. The method of anchoring a cleat to a shoe sole which consists in fixing in the shoe sole an internally threaded socket having a rim projecting beyond the bottom sole; surface, and having a washer disposed against the shoe sole and se cured by said rim, providing a cleat of pliable material having an end-bearing surface and a threaded stud fixed therein and projecting therefrom and having a projecting shoulder recessed in and below said cleat end-bearing surface at a greater distance than the projecting height of said socket rim, screwing said stud into said i socket until said end-bearing surface substan-' tially engages said washer, and then further screwing said stud into said socket to tightly engage said stud shoulder with said socket rim after compressing the pliable cleat material at said end-bearingsurface.

8. In a shoe, a cleat of pliable material having a molded-in stud comprising a body portion embeddedin the cleat, a threaded shank projecting from said body portion and beyond one end of the cleat, said one end of said cleat having a recess therein around said shank and leading to said body portion, said shank being of smaller JOHN T. RIDDELL.

rim, the cleat material will be compressed at the end, from which said shank projects. 

